New York, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 29th Aug, 2024) Defending champion Novak Djokovic will aim for a fast start against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere on Wednesday as he steps up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open.
Djere, ranked 109th in the world, was the only player to take a set off Djokovic at last year’s US Open, taking the first two of their third-round clash before Djokovic turned the tide.
“It was a very tough match,” Djokovic recalled, vowing to take the lessons learned into their second-round match under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Djokovic, coming off an emotional triumph at the Paris Olympics, will anchor a night session that opens with women’s defending champion Coco Gauff, 20, taking on 37-year-old Tatjana Maria of Germany.
Djokovic, tied with Aussie legend Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam titles but chasing his first of 2024, says he relishes the energy of Ashe at night — but the 37-year-old hinted after his Monday victory over Radu Albot that he’d be up for opening the night session for chance at a slightly earlier bedtime.
“I don’t think that aging helps really, staying so late,” he said after his opener finished a tick before midnight. “I can feel my batteries are low – I’m shutting down.”
That likely means he’ll be even more determined to shut down Djere early, but Djokovic said his compatriot is no pushover.
“I think he loves the conditions here,” Djokovic said. “It’s a bit quicker. Ball stays low. He has a very flat backhand particularly and very good serve, great return. He’s physically as fit as anybody.”
Fitness could be a big factor on Wednesday, with a forecast for hot, humid conditions.
That promised to be especially challenging for afternoon matches, including Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka’s meeting with Italian Lucia Bronzetti on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Sabalenka, runner-up to Gauff last year, is aiming to go one better and become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hard court Grand Slam titles in the same year.
She tuned up for the Open with a victory in the hard court tournament at Cincinnati, where she bounced world number one Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.
Seventh-seeded Paris Olympics gold medallist Zheng Qinwen survived the heat — rallying from a set down for the second straight match to reach the third round with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-2 victory over Russian Erika Andreeva.
China’s Zheng next faces German Jule Niemeier, a 6-4, 6-0 winner over Moyuka Uchijima of Japan.
“Honestly today, my entry to the match wasn’t the way I wanted, but I’m glad I still fought until the end and didn’t give up,” Zheng said.
Having bagged China’s first Olympic tennis singles gold, Zheng is now aiming to follow compatriot Li Na as a Grand Slam winner after coming up short against Sabalenka in the Australian Open final.
– Tough conditions –
Eighth-seeded Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova became the biggest upset victim of the tournament to date, bounced 6-4, 7-5 by Romanian qualifier Gabriela Ruse.
Men’s fourth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany advanced on cue with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over France’s Alexandre Muller, delighted to close it out quickly in the sultry conditions.
“I thought he played some amazing tennis. Especially at the end of the second set, I thought he was the better player than me,” Zverev said. “I am happy to be done in three sets, to have some rest as it is very hot and tough conditions.”
Other seeds in action included No. 6 Russian Andrey Rublev, a four-time US Open quarter-finalist and eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway, runner-up in 2022.
Frances Tiafoe was leading 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 when opponent Alexander Schevchenko retired, the American into the third round where he could face compatriot Ben Shelton in a rematch of their memorable quarter-final clash last year.
